The guy has a beekeeping company. He has now 1100 hives.He manufactures HoneyPaw polyhives.

He keeps all hives in one box, because he limist the brooding to one box.He fills the hive with syrup and it will last to August to April. He says that he cannot even go to hives before May because forest roads have snow still.

The system is basicly common. No other trick are needed. Of course it is an advantage that you go and weight with hand what is the food storage in March.

For those going with just a reduced bottom entrance and lots of insulation in the northern states, it would be wise to keep an eye on the entrance and make sure it doesn’t get plugged up with dead bees. I’ve had that happen numerous times and I think it contributed to losing a hive or two. When the bees can’t get out, they panic, over heat the poly hives and then die in large numbers. You avoid that problem with a top entrance, but as others will say, it isn’t a perfect solution either.

For those going with just a reduced bottom entrance and lots of insulation in the northern states, it would be wise to keep an eye on the entrance and make sure it doesn’t get plugged up with dead bees. I’ve had that happen numerous times and I think it contributed to losing a hive or two. When the bees can’t get out, they panic, over heat the poly hives and then die in large numbers. You avoid that problem with a top entrance, but as others will say, it isn’t a perfect solution either.

That is important. Upper entrance saves the hive in this case.

Last spring my one hive roared loudly after winter. What is that! I opened the inner cover and half of bees rushed to air and died on snow.

The lower entrance is blocked with dead bees and I have not noted that gthere was no upper entrance . That hive was ruined then. Frames were covdred with poo.

Hey, Finski - I am telling my students stories from the Kalevala - the honey bee has an important roll to play there, helping to bring people back to life! So honey bees have a long history in Finland, no?!

Hey, Finski - I am telling my students stories from the Kalevala - the honey bee has an important roll to play there, helping to bring people back to life! So honey bees have a long history in Finland, no?!

How do you take Kalevala? Is it interesting?

It is sure that honeybee has nothing to do with Kalevala. It is like a lion which is in Finnish escutcheon.

Etymology English ...honeySweden....honeyGerman....honigFinland...hunaja

My students (and I, too!) love the Kalevala stories. It is wonderful how the greatest magic the heroes possess is in knowing the secrets of nature and then being able to sing powerful songs from them. I meant to say that honey bees are important in two of the stories - one, when a bee was sent by the smith Ilmarinen to get honey for him to add goodness to the tempering bath for iron (and how the 'bird' (a wasp) of the evil spirit Hissi brought poisonous venom instead, leading to all the evil things that iron could get up to); and another time when the mother of Lemmenkainen brings her son back to life but cannot restore his speech until she sends a honey bee to the Ninth Heaven to fetch heavenly honey to smear on his lips.

With apologies for digressing so from the original post... is there a 'honey bee in history and legend' section?